The Guardian view on Ukraine peace talks: Putin is taking Trump for another ride on the Kremlin carousel | Editorial
In the wake of Donald Trump’s Thanksgiving Day deadline for a Ukraine peace agreement, the Kremlin’s stance on the ongoing conflict has become increasingly clear. Mark Galeotti, a noted Russia expert, highlighted a revealing commentary from Rossiyskaya Gazeta, a government-affiliated publication. The article, penned by a foreign policy scholar aligned with Vladimir Putin’s regime, emphasized that as long as military hostilities persist, Russia retains leverage over Ukraine. The moment fighting ceases, however, Moscow would face intensified political and diplomatic pressure from the international community. This statement underscores a crucial aspect of Russia’s strategy: to maintain a state of conflict that allows it to dictate terms, rather than engaging in a genuine dialogue that respects Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Putin’s ambitions extend beyond a mere ceasefire; he seeks the complete capitulation of Ukraine and its reabsorption into Russia’s sphere of influence. His recent demands for Ukraine to surrender additional territory in the east reflect this aggressive posture. He has dismissed the legitimacy of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government, reiterating that any future agreements would lack legal standing unless they align with Russia’s interests. This hardline approach suggests that Moscow is not interested in a balanced negotiation but rather in imposing its will on Ukraine, either through military force or a politically convenient deal, potentially facilitated by external actors like Trump. In this context, equipping Kyiv with the necessary resources to continue its defense is seen as the most effective way to counter Russia’s ambitions and pave the way for a just resolution to the conflict.
Russia’s president is only interested in a deal on Moscow’s terms. Equipping Kyiv with the resources to fight on is the quickest route to a just settlement
As Donald Trump’s Thanksgiving Day deadline for a Ukraine peace agreement came and went this week, the Russia expert Mark Galeotti
pointed
to a telling indicator of how the Kremlin is treating the latest flurry of White House diplomacy. In the government paper Rossiyskaya Gazeta, a foreign policy scholar close to Vladimir Putin’s regime bluntly observed: “As long as hostilities continue, leverage remains. As soon as they cease, Russia finds itself alone (we harbour no illusions) in the face of coordinated political and diplomatic pressure.”
Mr Putin has no interest in a ceasefire followed by talks where Ukraine’s rights as a sovereign nation would be defended and reasserted. He seeks the capitulation and reabsorption of Russia’s neighbour into Moscow’s orbit. Whether that is achieved through battlefield attrition, or through a Trump-backed deal imposed on Ukraine, is a matter of relative indifference. On Thursday, the Russian president
reiterated
his demand that Ukraine surrender further territory in its east, adding that the alternative would be to lose it through “force of arms”. Once again, he described Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government as “illegitimate”, and questioned the legally binding nature of any future agreement.
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